The present invention relates to a processing method for conducting e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business by way of an electronic commerce terminal. An electronic commerce terminal can be referred to as a pervasive computing device. In addition, the present invention relates to a universal advertising and payment system and method for networking, monitoring, collecting data, selling goods and services, controlling interactive advertising, controlling and effectuating electronic commerce and controlling vending equipment. The present invention also relates to physical and virtual networking of vending machines and network hardware, server based network control, and network security. The present invention can be implemented in a manner to allow operational monitoring and control of networks (and network hardware), vending machines, electronic mail (e-mail), electronic commerce (e-commerce), electronic business (e-business), payment for goods and services, delivery of goods and services, and advertising worldwide.
The growth of the Internet has created a new way to buy, sell, trade, and barter goods and services worldwide. This new form of buying, selling, trading, and bartering may commonly be referred to as electronic commerce or e-commerce, and or electronic business or e-business. The process of conducting these types of transactions can be called an electronic commerce transaction, electronic business transaction, e-commerce transaction, or e-business transaction.
With the continued growth of e-commerce and e-business type transactions the reliance and dependence on these forms of business may continue to grow. A user may be required to have access to the Internet in order to conduct e-commerce and e-business transactions. This may require a personal computer with modem or network access to such resources as to enable a user to connect to and access resources on the Internet.
The cost and or availability of a personal computer may be a limiting factor to virtual companies desiring to sell goods and service by way of e-commerce and or e-business type transactions. In order for a virtual company to reach a user, the user may need to have access to a web site by way of a computer. If the user does not own a computer an e-commerce or e-business type transaction may not be able to be effectuated. In so much the appeal and reach of a virtual company can be limited by the number of points of access users may have access to.
Placing personal computers in the public may offer additional access points to reach virtual companies by way of the Internet. However the form factor (size, shape, cost, and packaging) and the maintenance required to maintain peak performance can be a limitation that could prevent wide spread usexe2x80x94instead public personal computer may be better suited for niche markets such a universities, and libraries.
In addition, public access to a personal computer in the general public might lack the necessary privacy and security needed to make a user feel comfortable enough to transact e-commerce and e-business.
With the advent of e-commerce and e-business type transactions, a common method of payment can be credit cards. As a result, many e-commerce transactions and e-business transactions can require credit card transaction processing to effectuate sales. In order to process e-commerce and e-business transactions a location owner or system owner may be required to apply for certification as a merchant with a credit processing bureau. Furthermore, a potential location owner or system owner may be faced with having to establish and maintain a special bank account for receiving processed electronic funds.
As more goods and services become available to more potential customers by way of the Internet the cost of transaction processing can become significant to a merchant. In many cases, transaction processing rates can be determined and effectuated by credit card processing bureaus, banks, financial institutes, and telecommunication companies. Transaction processing fees can be a function of the total volume of dollars processed by a single merchant. That is, the more money a merchant processes the lower the transaction processing rate may be set.
As individuals become more reliant on the Internet for e-mail, e-commerce, and or e-business the demands for access to the Internet may increase. In addition, to the buying, selling, trading, and bartering supported on the Internet other services vital to daily business may also be performed online. The escalating demands for access to the Internet can result in increased e-commerce and e-business transactions. As a consequence the demand to have more access to the Internet in the public may grow.
There are numerous problems for Internet based businesses (referred to as virtual companies or virtual businesses) in that increased competition on the Internet may see their growth and profits diminish. The barrier to entry of a virtual company can be little more than a computer hooked to the Internet. As more web sites appear selling similar products, a virtual company""s ability to differentiate itself from other virtual companies may diminish. Head-to-head competition and transaction processing fees may shrink profit margins, potentially jeopardizing an entire business enterprise.
In addition to virtual companies having to compete with other virtually companies, virtual companies have to compete with brick and mortar type companies. Brick and mortar type companies may be referred to as physical companies. Physical companies are companies with physical locations that the public can access.
Physical companies may have several advantages over virtual companies including being able to accept alternative forms of payment (cash, checks, etc.). It may be much easier for a company with physical locations to expand by developing an Internet business, then it is for a virtual company to expand by buying or building physical locations.
A number of deficiencies support the long felt need of the present invention including the need to offer more access to the Internet. In particular the need to offer access to the Internet in public locations.
In addition, a further deficiency can be requirements of a location owner or system owner to have to establish special bank accounts, and or become certified for certain categories of transaction processing.
In addition, a further deficiency can be shrinking profit margins resultant from transaction processing fees. These transaction processing fees can be associated with traditional credit card transaction processing as well as e-commerce and e-business type transaction processing. Furthermore, a merchant with a small transaction dollar volume may pay significantly higher transaction processing fees then a merchant with a high transaction processing dollar volume.
Another deficiency can be the form factor (size, shape, cost) of the personal computer. The personal computer may be to big, to costly, to complicated and to difficult to maintain in many public applications and environments.
The present invention relates to a processing method for conducting e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business by way of an electronic commerce terminal. An electronic commerce terminal can be referred to as a pervasive computing device. Furthermore, the present invention is embodied in a simple and effective system and method for processing a wide variety of credit card, e-commerce, and e-business type transactions, to name a few. In addition the present invention embodies a universal control and payment system to distribute and display interactive advertising, conduct electronic mail, electronic commerce, electronic business, and control the billing for the use of vending equipment. Vending equipment can include copiers, phones (public, private, cellular), facsimile machines, printers, data-ports, laptop print stations, notebook computers, palmtop computers (PALM PILOT), microfiche devices, projectors, scanners, cameras, modems, communication access, personal data assistants (PDA""s), pagers, and other types of vending machines, personal computers (PC), PC terminals (NET PC), and network computers (NC).
One aspect of the present invention provides a system for public access to electronic mail (e-mail), electronic commerce (e-commerce), and electronic business (e-business). More specifically, the present invention can control, monitor, and effectuate e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business transactions such that the general public can use the present invention as a public access electronic commerce station. E-business includes data communication related to business activities, and includes financial related information, and public transportation information Another aspect of the present invention provides the ability to route e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business transactions, allowing e-mail, e-commerce, e-business transactions including credit card and other types of transactions to be processed in an online environment.
It is understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive of the invention.